Internet Education and a changing belief among traditional nurse educators

I can’t help but be amazed how far nursing has come in accepting Internet based BSN programs. I spent the past week at a top university meeting with the director for their nurse anesthesia program. In the past I recall nurse educators that held a belief that if one didn’t get their BSN in a traditional university it was something less that a "real" degree. But these same educators hurt themselves when they view that a BSN is the gold standard as opposed to ADN/Diploma nurses. The problem became when those of us with life responsibilities could not drop everything and attend traditional classes so we didn’t try to obtain our BSN. To maintain the BSN as the gold standard for registered nurses the traditional nurse educators had to accept non-traditional programs. The director I met with not only embraces a BSN earned via the Internet but voiced belief that a BSN learned through independent learning is more challenging due to the discipline it takes to complete such programs. Finally, nursing is entering the twenty-first century. I’m grateful it did during my career; it makes my ability to achieve my goals more realistic.